1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a plug-in type electrical recepticle apparatus for use in constructing the wiring system of a house or other building, and more particularly, to a receptacle apparatus having a plurality of cantilevered electrical contact strips with plug receiving means thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When a new building is being wired or an older building is being rewired, considerable time must be spent in making electrical connections within and between conventional junction, switch and receptacle boxes, and considerable time must be spent in mounting such boxes. Accordingly, a need exists for an electrical receptacle box with which various electrical conductors may be quickly electrically connected in order to provide the electrical circuitry, and which may be quickly mounted from joists and studs.
The prior art includes wiring systems having plug-in type connections, such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,443 to Figart et al.
Also, the prior art has included electrical boxes having offset flanges for the mounting of the box on studs on the face of the box extending from the stud at a distance equal to the thickness of the wallboard to be used with the device, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,037 to Schindler et al.
Other examples of various forms of electrical connection apparatus, including plug-in connectors, and in some instances some of the other general structural operational features of the present invention, may include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,393,397; 3,451,037; 3,569,911; 3,585,570; 3,717,840; 3,828,113; 3,885,852; 3,945,711; 4,012,100; and 4,106,835. Specifically, electrical receptacles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,738,482; 3,339,170; 4,166,934; and 4,336,418.
In spite of the numerous attempts which have been made to develop a practical alternative to conventional junction, switch and receptacle boxes, some of which attempts are shown in the above-cited references, none of these attempts has succeeded in providing a system which has found widespread acceptance in the marketplace. There is still the need for much improvement in plug-in type electrical boxes, and the present invention provides an electrical receptacle apparatus addressing such needs.
A typical electrical receptacle, such as manufactured by General Electric, has a two-piece insulating housing with a pair of electrically conducting plug-receiving portions and a ground plug-receiving strip. A fourth electrically conducting piece extends between the housing portions and is in electrical communication with the ground contact strip and further provides mounting flanges for attaching the receptacle to a typical receptacle box. This mounting strip also includes a screw terminal for attachment of a ground wire. The two plug-receiving portions include screw terminals for attachment of power and common wires thereto, respectively. While this apparatus is in widespread use, and thus economically manufactured in large quantities, there is a need for a simplified electrical receptacle which reduces the number of parts, as well as providing plug-in wiring as discussed above. The present invention, utilizing a two-piece housing which also acts as the receptacle box and includes only three contact strips therein, greatly reduces the number of parts required, as well as providing a plug-in rather than screw terminal system. The improvements of the present invention also provide an electrical receptacle apparatus which includes conventionally manufactured parts and one which is quickly assembled.